The Team Sky member, who is a five-time Grand Tour winner, says he still needs to recover fully from last week's event in Colombia.
The seven-stage tour gets underway on Monday.
The race starts in Abu Dhabi before ending in Dubai on March 2.
It is the only UCI World Tour race in the Middle East.
This year's inaugural edition will feature 20 teams from around the world.
Blockx converts late Madrid call-up into breakthrough semi-final run
Alexander Blockx arrived at the Madrid Open expecting to play the qualifying rounds, but the Belgian has made the most of his late promotion to the main draw after a string of withdrawals, riding a wave of confidence to the semi-finals.
Holder brings 'sprinkling of stardust' as Gujarat beat RCB
Jason Holder's display in Gujarat Titans' four-wicket IPL win over champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru was exactly what the team was looking for when they bought the West Indies international, director of cricket Vikram Solanki said.
Japanese trailblazer Nishikori to retire at end of season
Kei Nishikori will hang up his racquet at the end of the 2026 season, the 36-year-old said on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a professional career that saw him break new ground for Japanese tennis.
Wood penalty hands Forest win over Villa in Europa League semi first leg
Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood smashed a penalty into the top corner to secure a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in the first leg of their all-English Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
UAE Team Emirates XRG's Pogačar doubles up on stage 2 of Tour de Romandie
Tadej Pogačar made it two wins in two days for UAE Team Emirates XRG at the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland, with the race leader picking the spoils from a reduced bunch sprint on stage 2.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced a travel ban for UAE citizens to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, citing current regional developments.
Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region, has met with a number of sheikhs, officials and citizens at Al Maqam Palace in Al Ain.
The UAE's Attorney-General, Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, has ordered the referral of 13 defendants and six UAE-registered companies to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal (State Security Court) on charges of illicit trafficking in military materiel, forgery and money laundering.
